Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya will Monday, October 14 lead the military fraternity in marking the 13th Kenya Defence Forces Day Celebrations.
The 2024 event will be marked at the Thika Garrison in Thika, Kiambu County.
It will be a significant event because the troops are preparing to return home after the conclusion of their African Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) in December.
This is according to plans given on the timelines of the ATMIS.
It will be the first time Tuya will be presiding over the event. KDF Day is observed annually to Commemorate and celebrate the acts of valour and gallantry by KDF heroes and heroines.
This special day has been observed since October 2012 following the launch of Operation Linda Nchi in October 2011.
The operation changed the face of KDF, showing its prowess in protecting the country.
This year's theme is "One Force, Mission Ready: Unity in Action for National Security and Development", the military said.
“KDF Day is the most important day in the KDF calendar. This is reflected in their idea of duty. Soldiers are patriotic and it is for us to thank them for their sacrifice,” officials said.
In the event, soldiers who performed exceptionally well in their duties are recognized and presented with awards in recognition of their remarkable work.
Under “Operation Linda Nchi”, Kenyan troops in collaboration with the Jubaland security forces liberated the southern port city of Kismayo and wrestled 12 other towns in the Jubaland region from Al-Shabaab control.
Kenyan troops were in February 2012, integrated into the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM)-the predecessor mission to ATMIS – following a UN resolution.
Kenya is among the five ATMIS Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) alongside Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Uganda. The day has served as a platform to remember and honour the acts of valour and gallantry embodied by KDF heroes and heroines in service to their country.
However, the move by KDF has not been a walk in the park as the personnel there have been facing many setbacks. In 2016, more than 100 soldiers and officers were killed in an attack by al Shabaab militants.
The Battle of El Adde took place on January 15, 2016, as the militants launched an attack on a Kenyan-run AMISOM army base in the town of El Adde, Gedo, Somalia.
It remains the deadliest attack on the African Union Mission to Somalia and is the Kenya Defence Forces' largest defeat since independence in 1963.
But this did not deter the personnel's mission as they have since then liberated many regions in battles.